Chair



June 12, 1934. M. RlcHrs'rElG CHAIR Filed June 2. 1932 www@ Patented June l2, 1934 cnam Max Rlchtstelg, Chicago, lll. Application June '2, 1932, serial No. 614.864

(c1. 15s-5o) 2 Claims.

The invention relates to furniture such as chairs or benches and more particularly it relates to a novel supporting form of base for a chair, settee, bench or the like.

An object of the invention is the provision of an improved supporting frame and base for a chair, settee or the like.

Another object of the invention is the provision in a device of the kind described of an inclined flexible member adapted as a support for a seat member and the occupant thereof and to yield under the weight of the occupant to cause a rocking and springing movement to be imparted to the seat member. I

A `further object of the invention is the provision in a chair having a flexible inclined supporting member flxedly attached to a flexible base member, said base member being adapted to yield under the Weight of an occupant of the chair to permit the inclined member' to be oscillated by the weight of the occupant.

Still another object of the invention is the provision in an article of the kind described of a seat member and a novel supporting frame 10 therefor comprising a flexible base member and a flexible inclined member rigidly fastened to the base member and to the seat member, the construction being such that both the inclined member and the base member are flexed a substantial amount under the Weight of an occupant of a chair and thereby enabling the occupant to impart either or both a rocking and a vertical springing movement to the seat member.

A further object is the provision of an article of the kind described comprising a seat member and a supporting frame therefor which permits the occupant to tilt the seat member to any desired position within predetermined limits and to impart a springing elfect to the seat member.

Still another object is the provision of a novel chair or bench of the kind described which is simple, durable, economical, emcient and satisfactory for its intended purpose.

Many other objects and advantages of the construction herein shown and described will be obvious to those skilled in the art from the disclosure herein given.

To this end my invention consists in the novel construction, arrangement and combination of parts herein shown and described and more particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawing, wherein like reference characters indicate like or corresponding parts,

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a chair illustrating one embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view along the line 2-2 of Fig. 1 drawn to a larger scale;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view along the line 3-3 of Fig. 1 drawn to a larger scale; and

Fig. 4 is a line diagramwherein the full lines 60 illustrate the positions respectively of the seat member, inclined member and base member when the chair is unoccupied and the dotted lines illustrate the positions of said members when the chair is occupied and the upright and base members are flexed under the weight of the occupant.

Referring now more particularly to the drawing, Fig. 1 illustrates a chair comprising in general three plate members of substantially equal width including a seat member 10 and a sup- 70 porting frame including an inclined member 11 and a base'member 12. I'he chair is illustrated as constructed of wood and in practice it is found that maple having a thickness of three-eighths of an inch provides the desired flexibility and will 15 return to its original position when the chair is unoccupied.

A pair of posts 13 are mounted on the rear corners and a pair of posts 16 are mounted on the front corners of the seat member. 'I'he posts I0 13 are connected by a cross member 14 to provide a back for the chair and the posts 13 and 16 on each side of the chair are connected by a member 17 providing arm rests. 'Ihe posts 16 are fastened to the seat member by rivets or bolts l5` 23 extending through the arm member 17 and a transverse front strip 18. The bottom of the seat member 10 may be one continuous sheet of material or in separate sections 20 as shown which are fastened to the front transverse strip 18 by 90 a plurality of rivets or bolts 21.

The rearl ends of the sections 20 are rigidly fastened to a transversely extending wedge-shaped member 19 by a plurality of bolts 22. The posts 13 are fastened to the member 19 by rivets or bolts 96 15. 'I'he rear ends of the arm rests 17 are fastened to the posts 13 in any desired manner to form a rigid connection so that the posts 13 and 16, the seat member 10 and the arm rest 17 provide a frame minimizing or altogether preventing bending of the seat member relative to the posts.

The base member 12 comprises a plurality of strips or plates 24 fastened at their front and rear ends to transverse strips 25 which rest upon the front and maintain the strips in spaced apart relation to the oor.

The inclined member 11 is shown as comprising a plurality of sections of material 26 and if desired it may be formed of a single strip of material. The bolts or rivets 22 extend through the 11o sections 20 and through the upper ends of the members 26 thereby rigidly fastening the inclined member to the wedge member 19. A transverse wedge member 27 rigidly connects the lower front ends of the sections 26 with the plates 24 forming the base member 12. A plurality of bolts or rivets 29 clamp the plate 28, the sections 26, the wedge member 27, and the plates 24, rigidly and securely together and causes the clamped portions of the various members to act as a unit.

The sections 26 are preferably of such a length that the front edge of the base member 12 is substantially in the same vertical plane as the front edge of the seat member 1l. The base member 12 is preferably slightly longer than the seat member 10 and as a result its rear portion projects to the rear of the seat member, thereby preventing any possibility of the chair overturning by reason cf the occupant leaning backward.

The elevation of the seat member 10 is such that when it is lowered by reason of the bending of the members 11 and 12 under the weight of the occupant, it will then be in a position where the occupant can take either a reclined or a vertical position in comfort. The inclined member 11 may be given any desired angle of inclination but it is found in practice that the best results are obtained by ccnning the inclination to angles between thirty and forty-five degrees to the horizontal. In a chair of average size, occupied by an adult of average weight, the threeeighths inch rnaple strips comprising the inclined member 11 and the base member -12 will bend suiilciently to lower the seat member approximately two inches with the seat member 10 in its normal substantially horizontal position. The described construction permits the occupant of the chair to tilt the seat backwardly, if desired, and in so doing the lexure of both inclined member and base member is increased substantially with the average elevation of the seat member substantially the same as when in its horizontal position. It is found by trial that the exure resulting from depression of the seat member is as much as three or four inches combined with the flexure due to tilting the seat member does not over-strain the members and that as much as six inches of depression of the untilted seat member will not over-stress either the inclined or base member. It is found by tests that the depression of the seat member under load may be as much as six inches without overstraining the material.

Stop members 30 are fastened at each end of the chair on the underside of the inclined member 11 andare arranged to strike the base member 12 in the event that excessive weight or force is applied to the seat member, thereby avoiding possibility of stressing the plates or strips 26 beyond their elastic limit. A cushion member 31, constructed of rubber or similar material is mounted on the lower end of the stop member 30 to prevent marring of the base member by contact of the stop member therewith.

The rigid connection between the inclined member 11 and the base member 12 causes the latter to buckle downwardly when the inclined member bends under the weight of the occupant of the chair. The downward buckling of the base member under the load increases the amount which the inclined member may oscillate Without overstraining the material and thereby adds to the resiliency of the support.

Thus it will be seen that I have provided a chair support comprising a flexible upright -member and a flexible base member which cooperate to adapt the chair for both a rocking and a springing movement under the weight of the occupant.

Having thus claim as new and desire ent is:

1. A chair comprising a seat, a base, and a member providing a support for the seat, said base comprising a relatively thin .plate of substantially the same width and length as the seat and positioned immediately underneath the seat, said supporting member comprising a relatively thin plate of substantially the same width as said seat and base, means fastening the lower end oi the supporting member to one end of said base and means, fastening the upper end of the supporting member to the end of the seat overlying the other end of the base.

2. A chair comprising a seat, 'a base, and a member providing a support for the seat, said base comprising a relatively thin plate o substantially the same width and length as the seat and positioned immediately underneath the seat, a pair of transverse members respectively fastened to the front and rear ends of said plate and adapted to rest upon a floor, said supporting member comprising a relatively thin plate of substantially the same width as said seat and base, means rigidly fastening the lower end of the supporting member to the front end of the base, and means rigidly fastening the upper end of said supporting member to the rear end of said seat.

described my invention, what l.

to secure by Letters Pat- MAX RICHTSTEIG. 

